Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Film
I've
seen all types of horror and monster movies. I've seen all sorts of
porn. I've even seen them mashed together, but I've never seen anything
like SEXCULA.

Recounting the 19th century events
through the discovery and reading of an old diary the film surrounds an
attractive Frankenstein-like scientist who is trying to find a cure to a
man's lack of sex drive and the fact that he simply can't get it up.
The woman calls upon the Countess Sexcula, another gorgeous woman who is
extremely skilled in being a hooker. It is through the Countess, and
continued experiments, that the woman finally gets her man... up.

There
you go, SEXCULA in a... erm... nutshell. The Canadian made 70s porno
flick had disappeared for three decades after only a single screening
and was thought lost forever. Luckily for the world of bizarre film
lovers it was re-discovered just a couple of years ago. From the classic
horror characters- vampire, mad scientist and even a hunchback named
Orgie, to the hard sex, an orgy inside a church including the priest and
making love to a gorilla, SEXCULA is something that really needs to be
seen to be believed. And that didn't even mention the pleasure robot! At
its core, the film is a porno and yes, it does a fine job at being a
porno, with explicit blowjob scenes, long sequences of all sorts of penetration and all the juicy fun but SEXCULA will (and to an extent already has) find its place in
bizarro film history. And to think the Canadian government helped fund
it!

The VideoImpulse Picturesbrings this long lost piece of adult film history to DVD with a Full Frame 1.33:1 transfer with a reasonable transfer. The gritty picture is full of grain and speckling but it only adds to the feeling this film brings. This is of course due to the nature of how the film was shot. Colors are decent and bllack levels are strong and never get muddy or block up.

The Audio
A
mono track is included for the audio and is perfectly acceptable. You
wouldn't expect a 5 track surround sound mix for a 70s porno, and if you
got one if might be terrifying. The sound is clean and clear with no
noticeable distortions.

The Extras
The original theatrical trailer is included along with liner notes from adult film historian Dimitrios Otis.

The Bottom LineIt is interesting to see how SEXCULA plays as two different films, a cute nudie horror flick and then a total hardcore skin flick with long sex scenes. It all comes together for a truly weird, bizarre and entertaining viewing experience.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Nicola, played by Gianni Garko, who
is perhaps best known for his role as spaghetti western hero Sartana, is
a wealthy lumber importer who is on a business trip to purchase fancy
wood. While taking a shortcut through a forest Nicola sees a fleeting
vision of a woman and swerves to avoid her, damaging his car in the
process. The woman has vanished and Nicola is left with a car that can't
be driven. Nicola treks through the woods looking for any help he can
find when he stumbles upon an old house with a family just arriving from
burying a member in the family plot. Nicola explains his situation and
the matriarch tells him to wait until morning for help and that he can
stay with them as the forest is not safe during the darkness.

Nicola
is introduced to the entire family at dinner, including the head of the
family, his two sons, his brother's widowed wife, and her daughters,
and his own daughter Sdenka. Sdenka is put in charge of seeing over the
visitor and making his stay pleasant and safe. Sdenka is an absolutely
gorgeous redhead, with features that would stun any man. As she talks
with Nicola she becomes infatuated with him and his worldly knowledge of
city life. It becomes apparent to Nicola that the family is a very
superstitious group, scared of the woods and the evil it holds after
dark.

With banging, scratching and various other noises
being heard after sunset the family is paranoid and the patriarch
decides to put an end to the "family curse". He heads out into the woods
with a sharpened wooden stake and is told if he doesn't return before
sundown at 6 O' Clock he will be staked too. When he returns covered in
blood just as 6 p.m. dies there is an argument over whether he made the
deadline or not. The family lets him stay and Nicola's car is eventually
fixed. He promises Sdenka that he eventually return for her, and she
instructs him to talk to a police officer in town who used to live in
the village and would understand. After a brief talk in church with the
officer Nicola returns to Sdenka, only to find the curse has spread
deeper into the family and now must fight for his life to escape the
forest. With children eerily laughing as he is attached, Nicola fights
off the evil to escape the immediate danger. Nicola is found wandering
in a frantic, damaged state is brought to a mental hospital in the city
with a case of amnesia. Soon after Sdenka comes to identify him which
triggers Nicola's memory.

The story of NIGHT OF THE
DEVILS is simple and revolves around the Wurdulak. If you've never been
exposed to a story involving the Wurdulak it is easiest described as a
vampire creature but with some features of a zombie... sort of. It is
easy to see the general idea of the film from that, the family stalks
each other, and previously the rest of the village until it turns them
undead as well. The story is simple yes, but it is told with expertise
from the writers and director Giorgio Ferroni adds some style into the
direction that keeps even passive scenes interesting and engaging.
Ferroni had previously directed the criminally underrated MILL OF THE
STONE WOMEN and again here has a knock out film that isn't talked about
enough. Ferroni gets the most out of his cast. There isn't a
cringe-worthy moment in the film and nobody lets the script down. From
the strong willed father and his headstrong son to the more timid and
loving children the cast is great. The soundtrack is an understated
piece that works well with the film and adds to the mood.

NIGHT
OF THE DEVILS is a film I've just learned about in the last year when I
heard about it from Raro Video. After reading reviews about it (while
avoiding plot specifics) I formed this idea of the movie in my brain. It
was a bit weirder and more contemporary than what I got. While set in
the day it was filmed, it is absolutely a gothic horror film and pulls
it off perfectly. It is movies like this that keep my passion for
finding new films alive and well.

Friday, March 15, 2013

With the successful funding of LORD OF TEARS completed (but still
going so go donate for an even better film), I got to talk with Lawrie
Brewster, the director of the film, about the project. Read on!

How was the initial idea for Lord Of Tears
developed? What made you want to make this film?

The initial idea for Lord of Tears was developed
based upon a strange personal experience I had as a child. While walking out
the front entrance of a stately home, I saw, standing at the far end of an
empty lawn, a man dressed in a tailsuit with a large bird mask.

The figure stood looking in my direction for some
time before stepping with relative ease into some nearby woodland. Now I am not
one to suggest anything supernatural about that occurrence, but the incident
itself left enough visual impact upon me as a child to inspire me as an artist
in later life.

I wrote a short story based on the incident and
scriptwriter Sarah Daly created a world and a set of characters around it that
became the script for Lord of Tears.

The reason I wanted to make this film is borne out
of a desire to produce original works for the horror/fantasy genre evocative of
the classic horror films no longer deemed commercial enough – in particular in
the independent horror genre. The reason we see so many teen slasher films is
not entirely down to unoriginality – it is because there is a built in
anti-intellectual segment in some audiences in the genre. There are exceptions
to this (for not all slasher films are the same) such as masterly classics like
the original Halloween.

It made me realise that if we were to see low
budget horror that focussed on story and atmosphere, films like the Wicker Man,
or the adaptations of The Devil Rides Out or Blood on Satan's Claw... that it
would be up to us to make them... and support the production of such films.

I believe the horror genre is the very best portal
for the cinematic imagination – it embraces fantasy and science fiction – can
be metaphysical and philosophical as well as dark... violent and sexual. Not
many genres provide such breadth to explore the most nightmarish recesses of
human or supernatural existence hence why I wanted to make Lord of Tears as my
personal contribution to the genre.

You've mentioned before that various myths and
legends have inspired the film, can you tell us about them?

Oh I cannot explicity tell you what they are – but
you can uncover them from the film and its associated mythos documents.
Especially with our collector's editions or full digital packs, as they include
some short stories, origin tales and artwork etc.

Of course I can describe where I sought my
inspiration. As a student of Ancient History and Theology - the tales I read
and research are of the gods, creatures, Titans. The denizens of different
faiths and legends of different creatures are the compatriats of my
imagination. With the Lord of Tears, I found in the religion of ancient
Carthage an entity that demanded the most awful sacrifices, and in ancient
Scotland a pagan cult that worshipped the spirits of dead enemies trapped in
decapitated heads.

What excites me about dark inspirations for horror
literature and film, is that in a universe as huge and infinite, within
parallel dimensions – almost anything if not anything... may exist somewhere.
In that sense I see myself as a potential documentarian as well as a
storyteller.

The Owl Man has a very foreboding look, who designed
it?

The Owl Man was designed conceptually by myself
and our Cinematographer Gavin Robertson who carried out the original
illustrations of the Owlman in his tailsuit with out-stretched talons!

An artist called Angela Allen, then produced the
mask and talons! She did a great job!

Did any other films or film makers influence you
or screenwriter Sarah Daly on Lord Of Tears, either directly or indirectly?

Oh lets see filmmakers like Jack Clayton (The
Innocents) Robert Wise (The Haunted) and of course films such as The Shining,
The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan's Claw and J-Horror films such as those of Hideo
Nakata like Ringu and of course Stuart Gordon (I'm sure I don't have to say
why!)

It may sound a little cliché but filmmakers such
as Akira Kurosawa are a personal inspiration (in particular dramas such as
Ikiru and Redbeard) and British director Ken Russell for films like The Devils
and The Music Lovers.

The cast includes some well versed and experienced
actors including David Schofield, how did he come on board for the project?

Euan Douglas and Lexy Hulme were actors already
known to us. Euan was a stage trained actor – mature and interesting whose
performance would lend our film a classic British theatrically trained sense of
authenticity. Lexy Hulme meanwhile trained in US screen acting and is known
mostly for her incredible dancing (appearing in films such as 500 Days of
Summer, and the TV series Smash.) We put that physical and remarkable screen
prescence to good use in our film – you certainly won't forget her!

David Schofield will of course be known to your
readership for his appearances in many films over the decades – most well-known
being Gladiator and Pirates of the Carribean – but most imporantatly as the
awesome darts player in American Werewolf in London... “you.... you made me
miss...” For that reason alone we knew we just had to have him provide the
sinister voice for our Owlman.

We got in touch with David and fortunately for us,
he admired the maturity and artistic aspiration of Sarah Daly's script. I say
aspiration because often actors do not get material that seeks to be creatively
ambitious – especially in the genre. That doesn't guarantee a film is great of
course but it shows it does aim to be. So it was a great personal aknowledgement
for Sarah's talent that such an experienced actor had kind words for her
writing!

Where was Lord Of Tears shot?

Lord of Tears was shot across the United Kingdom
but mostly in the Highlands of Scotland, at the incredible mansion of Ardgour
House.

What was the toughest part about writing the
screenplay and filming the movie, respectively?

I will pass you onto Sarah Daly who
wrote the screenplay – Sarah

I have to first say that Lord of Tears was one of
those screenplays that seemed almost to write itself. I had the benefit of
knowing in advance who most of our cast would be, and where we would be
filming, so the film played out quite clearly in my imagination – I only had to
write it down!

The most difficult parts were the puzzle elements
– Lord of Tears is actually quite a complex mystery-driven film so making sure
all the pieces fit and that the mystery unravelled in a satisfying way was
crucial, and tricky at times. But, these are the sorts of stories that I love
to write – dark, fantastical and timeless. The dialogue for the Owl Man (David
Schofield) was particularly fun to write as it's very theatrical and poetic.I
could really let loose!

(Now back to Lawrie)

The greatest challenge when producing any film is
to make sure that you can produce the very best film you can in the time given
by the shooting schedule. We took an uncompromising approach to the film,
developing a style that we felt we could achieve in a creative and professional
manner which I think should reflect itself in a quality product!

However, in terms of personal experiences, the
difficulties were like those of any low budget film – exhaustion, long days and
such like – however the great thing about our film, talent and crew is that we
all share a passion for storytelling. Working on something that intends to be
different and exciting can give you the energy you need to don that Owl Man
costume at 4am in the pouring rain – because deep down you know it will
unsettle the clinging girlfriend of some chap wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned
with a fanged Christopher Lee.

What scared you as a child?

Oh let's see – brussel sprouts, green bean and
mushroom lasagne, the dark (sometimes) and strange noises. I have always had an
active imagination and being Scottish lends one a natural inclination towards
the macabre 'we're all doooomed!'

What are some of your favorite horror films?

Oh I hate this question – you know why? Because I
love so many horror films and they're all like personal friends to me. So if I
list some and forget others after this article is published... I'll be...
desolate (well...)

Okay, many consist of those I have listed. The
Innocents, The Wicker Man, The Haunting, Halloween, The Thing, Hellraiser,
Ringu, Grudge, Dark Water, Home Movie and Noroi the Curse, Re-Animator... oh
and a great short film for your readership that you can view on youtube 'Merry
Little Christmas.'

Anything else to say? (Feel free to plug whatever
you want!)

Oh I get to plug something! Well I would just like
to share with your readership that our DVDs and Collector's Editions are being
manufactured as a one off for our Kickstarter campaign and may not be available
through regular distributer channels until (2014!!!)

I would urge any that want to support our type of
filmmaking and like the look of Lord of Tears, to pre-order now. In future we
would love to develop our own Hammer style studio known for its take on
story-driven Horror & Fantasy... the support of fans now helps us work
towards that without the middleman.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Before
the opening credits to THE DISCO EXORCIST we get a hot striptease,
black magic rituals and groovy lava lamps. It was pretty obvious this
was going to be a fun time.

Rex Romanski is a
disco-loving swinger and the most popular dancer at the local night
club. He has all the moves and has had all the ladies. This particular
night a new girl catches his eye, her name is Rita and they immediately
hit it off. After spending the night together they make plans to return
to the club for another night filled with dancing, drinks and sex. All
is going well until Rex spots his favorite porn star Amoreena sitting
alone at the bar and asks her to dance. Rita flips out, attacking and
ripping out some hair and swearing a curse upon the two.

Rex
and Amoreena leave the club and spend the night fucking like rabbits.
The next day Rex accompanies Amoreena to the set of her next porno shoot
and takes the place of the male lead who is three hours late to set.
While this is going on Rita is still reeling from being dumped and
sticks to her words of curses as Rita is heavy into black magic. Rita
casts a spell which possesses the three women on the shoot of the film
and they go on a killing spree inside the studio. Rex is able to save
Amoreena from harming him or herself in an effort to save her and be
with her.

Rex
looks for help in his brother who is a priest but finds he wants
nothing to do with him so he goes back to the club to drink girly drinks
and snort coke. Wouldn't we all? Luckily enough the janitor at the club
used to be a priest (banished for his lust for small children) and
gives Rex the advice he needs. Rex needs to give an exorcism to destroy
the curse and the apparent zombies that she has summoned.The demons
strike again at a big orgy where we bare witness to what has to be the
most ridiculously painful handjob ever put to film and then the shit
hits the fan. Heads are torn off, throats are slit and blood flows. Oh
yeah, there is still a lot of naked chicks running around. Rex takes
Amoreena back to the club to attempt to exorcise her demon while all
hell breaks loose inside the club. The blood continues to flow with
exploding heads and more victims to the demons while Rex tries to save
his girl's life.

Good
lord... THE DISCO EXORCIST is delightfully over the top in every way.
The film is a cross between The Exorcist, 70s trash and
sleaze, classic Troma and a bit of The Evil Dead at the end and presents itself of the period with all
the scratches and missing reels that have become popular in the last 6
or 7 years making the film look like it was taken straight from a 42nd
St. theater in Manhattan. While the film could have done without the
missing reels as they don't add anything to the film, it doesn't overdo
the artificial scratches so they become distracting. The director
Richard Griffin is no stranger to low budget horror and really does a
solid job with his cast and crew here. The performances are better than
you'd probably expect and the soundtrack is a fun electro-disco
influenced piece. If you enjoy horror movies that don't take themselves
seriously and feature a lot of laughs and sexy naked women I'm sure
you'll find a lot to like with THE DISCO EXORCIST. How bad can a movie
with "Wakey wakey my fiendish flock, time to awake some spectral cock"
as a line be anyways?

The FilmReiko has just started a new job at a high school teaching English and coaching tennis. She is a young attractive teacher that is well aware that the students have fallen for her. One night after tennis practice she is attacked and raped in the shower room by a masked man leaving only a jigsaw puzzle piece behind. Just a few days later a pair of her students who happen to be a couple kidnap Reiko and perform perverted acts on her for kicking the boy off the tennis team for mistreating other students.

After being released the teacher continues her search to find who dropped the puzzle piece and is led to another teacher who does jigsaw puzzles in his spare time but Reiko doesn't quite find what she is looking for. After another encounter with the students Reiko begins to come to terms with her feelings and urges while discovering the identity of the person behind the puzzle piece.

FEMALE TEACHER: IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS is quite an exploitative 70 minutes. With everything from shower rape, to group sex with students and a bit of kidnapping and torture Yasurou Uegaki has made one of the most brutal films released to date in this particular line of DVDs.

The Video The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is a strong effort. Much of the film takes place in areas with muted color palettes (inside the classroom, and houses) but the colors are represented nicely. The source material seems to have been kept in good and clean condition with no scratches or debris that I could notice.

The AudioThe typical Japanese 2.0 mono track is present once again here andit is just fine. The mix is good with the funky soundtrack that almost turns in to 80s teen comedy type music at times is never fighting for your attention with dialogue. Optional English subtitles are available and are newly translated and perfectly timed and placed.

The ExtrasThe original theatrical trailer is available on the disc but the real treat, once again, are the liner notes from Jasper Sharp.

The Bottom LineIt is almost hard to believe that this title makes a dozen releases from Impulse Pictures in the Nikkatsu line and FEMALE TEACHER: IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS is among the better half of films.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Film
In
World War II Japan Namiji Kikushima is charged with aiding a Kabuki
actor in spreading anti-war and anti-government propaganda. The pair are
captured and brought to the home of a tyrannical judge who has a pair
of Military Policemen in his pocket to help him do as he pleases with
any inmates of his homemade jail. The judge submits Mrs. Kikushima to
cavity searches, rope bondage and degrading acts such as urinating into a
dish while his wife has her way with the Kabuki actor who seems to want
to turn this seemingly gay man straight while forcing herself upon him
along with her own forms of sexual torment.

The
duo struggles to find a way from their captors until one of the MPs who
dreams of a relationship with Kikushima kills another guard and breaks
her out leading a manhunt into the wilderness. He takes her to a cabin
in the woods to make love with her and try to care for her but is
spotted while fetching water and the pair is captured and sentenced to a
nasty death.

Director Koyu Ohara should be becoming a familiar name to any fan of the Nikkatsu Roman Porno line as he also directed both True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Sex Hell and True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Continues along with I Like It From Behind!.
Ohara's direction that made both entries of the TSOAWIJ series
excellent films is fully on display with FAIRY IN A CAGE. The movie
moves quick but feature plenty of stylish direction and photography.
There is no nonsense or cuteness to FAIRY as there was in ILIFB!. While this film isn't overly caught up in politics it certainly touches on a time, just a few decades earlier, when a
nation was caught up in war and the government and military pushed the boundaries of their authority with little to no consequence.

The Video
FAIRY
IN A CAGE features an anamorphic widescreen presentation in a 2.35:1
aspect ratio and looks good. The original 35mm negative was used as
source material and was obviously in good condition and the crew at
Impulse Pictures did a great job of making sure it is clean of any
scratches, dirt or debris. Colors are nicely represented with reds of
clothing and the greens in the prison really standing out. The film was
also released on Blu-ray and judging by this DVD I have no doubt that
the BD is Grade-A.

The AudioWhile FAIRY IN A CAGE won't give your soundsystem a workout, the Japanese Mono track is more than suitable, with stable levels that make for a comfortable listening experience. Optional English subtitles are included andare timed and translated perfectly.

The Extras
Liner
notes from Jasper Sharp are the lone extra but include a great deal of
interesting information and insight in just a couple of pages.

The Bottom LineWith spine number 11 in the series, FAIRY IN A CAGE fits perfectly alongside the previous ten entries of the Nikkatsu Roman Porno line and will definitely satisfy current fans along with bringing enough serious film making to the table to introduce new viewers to a line of films they'll probably enjoy.

HBA

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About Me

I'm a lifelong horror and exploitation fan who is constantly writing endless unfinished pieces of fiction. These are the types of films I love and enjoy talking about. If you want to talk more in depth see the Facebook page.